The Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund Board of Trustees (MOSTF) has approved its first selection of grants totaling $9.8 million for 21 conservation and outdoor recreation projects.
This initial allocation of funding will be matched by more than $31.4 million from other sources.
“I was proud to sign legislation that created the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund,” Governor Tate Reeves said. “The Fund is already paying dividends to communities all over Mississippi. These grants will be critical to preserving Mississippi’s natural beauty so that future generations can enjoy it.”
The grants chosen include a diversity of projects that meet the goals of improving state parks and outdoor recreation trails, improving access to public waters and lands, and preserving, enhancing, and restoring Mississippi’s native wildlife and fish resources and their critical habitats across Mississippi.
More than 79,000 jobs will be created and the projects will enhance the state’s $8 billion outdoor recreation economy.
“We were pleased to receive over 100 project applications in our first round. There was no shortage of excellent projects, but limited funding made it very competitive,” MOSTF Chair Van Ray said. “The Board worked very hard to determine which projects would receive funding based on a comprehensive set of criteria.”
The full list of projects can be found below:
- Pearl River Source Water Protection and Recreation Project, Phase 1 ($2,696,471)
- Renasant Park Enhancements for Natural Resource-Based Outdoor Recreation, Environmental Education, Eco-Tourism, and Sustainability ($1,737,060)
- Freedom Ridge and Purple Creek Basin Improvements ($1,000,000)
- Mississippi Delta Wetlands Enhancement Projects ($1,000,000)
- Richardson Sportsplex and Outdoor Recreation Park ($996,300)
- Improving Wildlife Habitats Statewide Collaborative Conservation Partnerships ($570,000)
- Sims Road River Access and Eco-Tourism ($480,000)
- Stewardship Agreements on National Forests to Improve Forest Health-MS ($327,870)
- Noma Drive Boat Ramp Improvements ($250,000)
- Forest Management on State-Owned WMAs ($175,000)
- Kamassa Lakeside Fish and Fellowship with Accessible Piers ($150,000)
- Highway 57 Sports Complex Walking and Birding Trail ($126,326)
- Trail Improvements Tishomingo State Park ($102,800)
- Youth Environmental Stewardship Program (YES Program) ($90,000)
- Invest in the Present to Improve the Future ($34,500)
- Turcotte Shooting Facility Skeet House Construction ($31,750)
- Horseshoe Lake Restoration Project ($26,250)
- Swamp Access & Interpretation Project at Lee Tartt Nature Preserve ($21,450)
- North MS Fish Hatchery Visitor Education Center Event Pond Improvements ($13,750)
- Lake Columbia Kayak Launch ($8,700)
- Holmes County State Park Kayak Launch ($8,700)
The MOSTF was created and funded by the Legislature and later signed into law by Governor Reeves in 2022. During the 2023 legislative session, the program received an additional $15 million in funding.
